Corbet Dean

In 2000, Corbet Dean was asked to share at a spoken word festival in Arizona. After performing poetry about the gunbattle, the audience was stunned. Gary Mex Glazner mentioned his work on About.com. Later that year, The Mesa Tribune published the poem in an article on poetry in Arizona. Eventually, Corbet's work appeared in Off the Cuffs, an anthology published by Soft Skull Press.

Weeks later, Corbet won his first Grand Slam. After being named, "Artist of the Year" by his local venue, Corbet won his second championship in 2001. In 2002, Corbet placed second in North America at the National Poetry Slam in Minneapolis, MN.

In the months that followed, Corbet became a popular feature at poetry venues throughout the country. His shows included the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC, the Berzerkeley Slam in San Francisco, and the National Poetry Slam in Chicago. Corbet's 2003 performance at the Bowery Club later appeared on the Best of Urbana CD. At the 2005 National Slam, Corbet repeated another "top ten" finish.

In all, Corbet has won a total of seven local slam titles. While performing in ten consecutive National Poetry Slam events, he released three collections of prose, edited a benefit anthology, and produced a new DVD film. Corbet has seen his work appear in The Arizona Republic, Freedom To Speak (Wordsmith Press), Poems from the Big Muddy (Wordsmith Press), High Desert Vocies (Wordsmith Press), & An Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry (Alpha Books), and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux (Source Books). A Collection of Crime Scenes, Corbet's first full-length manuscript, is currently available at BARNES & NOBLE and AMAZON.COM.

Currently, Corbet works as a police officer, trying to affect change within the "system." Inspired by 1 Timothy 1:17, Corbet wants to create art that forces us to face the humanity flourishing in the shadows where we least expect it.